More spending cuts on the way if coalition is to meet savings targets

If the coalition is to meet its spending targets it will have to make further cuts to departmental budgets.

Public sector job losses could be significantly more than one million, according to a report published yesterday by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Due to the government’s failure to hit its savings targets, job losses in the public sector could be 300,000 higher by the end of 2017/18 than predicted, according to the IFS’s annual analysis of the government’s spending plans.

Within the IFS’s report, however, was also contained the prediction that, if the government continues to ring-fence the NHS budget, overseas aid and schools, spending cuts will need to be significantly more severe if the coalition is to meet the targets of its fiscal consolidation plan.

As things stand, just to keep his current savings plan on track, George Osborne will need to make much larger cuts to departmental budgets than he originally intended.

As we can see from the graphs below, the bar on the left represents what the government intends to cut while the bar on the right represents what the government will need to cut unless it reconsiders its policy of ring-fencing select budgets or increases government revenue through tax rises.

“If such further cuts to departmental spending are not possible without a decline in the quality or quantity of public services that is unacceptable to politicians or to voters, then higher borrowing, further tax increases or social security spending cuts – perhaps after the next general election – must be on the cards.”

132 Responses to “More spending cuts on the way if coalition is to meet savings targets”

Absolutely_Passionate

I think you should use a healthy dose of scepticism when reading tabloid newspapers. Notice they didn’t include any photos? Probably because the parents body piercings and tatoos would expose how their benefit payments are spent – ie not on fresh food and milk for their children.

It’s time the government stopped paying them cash and gave them food vouchers instead.

Newsbot9

Ah yes, you want to punish the poor even further, reducing their purchasing power and stopping them using public transport and purchasing, say, essential clothing without paying a transfer tax on the black market.

You’re making up nonsense again about ” piercings and tatoos” to justify your murdering I see. Keep up the genocidal calls!

Newsbot9

Yes, you keep up the denial. You are calling the poor children and taking away the money for food, utilities and shelter based on your myth of their wasting cash. Better in your world to genocide the lot, never mind you actually saw someone middle class buying a pack of cigarettes and have no idea of the challenges of being poor, it literally being a foreign world to you, 1%er.

You are disgusting.

Absolutely_Passionate

It’s not a myth that welfare claimants make poor buying decisions, it’s a well known fact. You are being blinded by socialist dogma into believing that they are all poor unfortunates who are not responsible for their own predicament. Maybe if you were to volunteer some time at “Crisis at Christmas” the scales would fall from your eyes.

Absolutely_Passionate

I’m not trying to dictate to you, it was merely a suggestion. I felt that if you were to have some closer contact to the down and outs that you might begin to understand how giving them money is not the solution. They are incapable of using the money wisely, and usually the off-licences are their first port of call, if not their drug pedlar.

Newsbot9

Ah yes, you immediately resort to the pejorative “down and outs”. I spend plenty of time with the poor, the people you’re trying to murder, and they do indeed need money. For food. For bills. For clothing. For shelter. The things you’re trying to deny them.

You’re confusing your drug and alcohol habit with the with a few addicts, who are not representative of the poor. Moreover, a few addicts does not mean you need to commit genocide. It’s always murder with your paternalist far right…

You’re in the situation where if a poor worker dares buy themselves a beer at the end of the week you’re calling for instant machine gunning. You’re a good Tory.

Newsbot9

Absolutely_Passionate

We all need to do what we can.
You could apply to your local authority for assistance to get your business started. You will find very quickly that the hardest and most expensive aspect of running a business is employing people.
Once you have achieved this, I think your attitude to indolence will change.

Gill

Oh Sorry, I do apologize, there was so many assumptions here that I had assumed people knew what they were talking about. Level of disability, lets say someone who needs a lot of care, unable to get out of bed, walk, stand, sit, sleep etc receives £56.25 to pay everything, I just wondered if you could advice how they should budget.

Newsbot9

Gill

Over half of unemployed people are re-employed within Six Months, some are unemployed for between 6 and 12 months but the smallest group are unemployed for over 12 months, many of these tend to be over qualified university graduates, people who want specific jobs that they trained for, not Jeremy Kyle watching, Stella Artois Drinking, Fag Smoking, Obese McDonald eating fantasies within some ignorant peoples imaginations.
The reason why the UK has become flooded with food banks is because many Sick and Disabled People have unfairly been found Fit for Work, many have not even had ‘Medical Assessments’ by ATOS ‘Health Care Professionals’ (they are called that because they are not Doctors!) and many have been refused ANY form of benefit whilst they start the Appeal process, approx 10 weeks, they are left penniless. As of April no one will be entitled to any money during the revision stage and it will not be time limited or backdated. This means one thing, if you are stuck in bed, you will starve as you will have no money to pay towards your care, food, heating, rent, bills…nothing! Sick and Disabled people are being found Fit For Work by Decision Makers who are office staff and have absolutely NO Medical Knowledge!
These are people who have ALSO paid Tax, they have paid ALL their working lives until some awful day they got struck down by some dreadful disease or disability.
So many people are being made redundant and losing their homes, but the Government are fiddling the numbers by saying there were 1million new jobs, were they 40 hour a week full time jobs? No, they were micro jobs!
As for Vit D and Rickets, this has started affecting our children due to extra strong Sun Creams, Sun Hats and the constant worry of skin cancer. Parents have been advised to keep out of the Sun and their Children for several years, this has caused a low amount of Vit D during pregnancy. Now the advise is to not cover your children. The reason why the Asian community is affected is because again they cover up.
Everyone in the uk pays tax, please do not feel like you are a hero.
If you do not hate the poor go down to your local food bank this week and offer your services! See and hear some real life ‘Stories’

Absolutely_Passionate

Gill

Yes everything, including £15 towards rent per week.
I did not specify who, there are many Neurological Conditions that make Standing and Sitting an issue. Skills and Qualifications are irrelevant if the person is physically too unwell to use them.

Newsbot9

Absolutely_Passionate

I was wondering if you had say IT skills, html or such like.
I know it’s easy for others to pontificate about such matters when they don’t have all the facts, but when I see the performances at the Para Olympics, and Stephen Hawking I find it quite inspirational, like nothing is impossible.

Have you considered writing? or the OU?

Gill

As I said previously the person is too ill, so many people get Disabled and illness confused. You can be quadraplegic but feel well, you can have a Neurological Disease and be unable to lift your head off the pillow due to illness, strange how people can not work the difference out. Back the budgeting question?

Gill

Maybe you did not like that example, I will give you another, A man who is so severely ILL and Disabled that he is Double, Totally, Uncontrollably, Incontinent and again unable to stand, walk or care for himself, he is expected to go to Work Focused Interviews, he can not even get out of bed on his own and suffers constant extreme debilitating pain, described as worse than Terminal Cancer without the release of Death, ex-serviceman, worked all his life, do you think that this is correct?

Gill

Or there is this one, a lady who was very articulate, worked all her life, good jobs etc, large house, accident at work one day, bang! Loses everything, Health, Job, House, Dignity, Pride, is left with brain and spinal damage, unable to write, talk, suffers extreme constant pain, unable to walk more than a few steps at a time, or stand for a few seconds, whilst still being investigated for CSF leaking from her nose and severe headaches that paralyse her she was refused all benefits and found ‘Fit for Work!’ She had to live off Christian Aid food Parcels! These are not people that watch Jeremy Kyle, drink Stella Artois, go to the Pub, have Tattoos and Body Piercings are Obese and eat McDonalds and live off your money you silly person. We all pay our Taxes, I do not think you are responsible for keeping every Unemployed, Sick and Disabled person in food money are you? Think about it you dont even pay 0.001% of it! So stop being so cruel and vulgar and assuming you understand what is going on, I would be happy to explain it to you if you want to hear.
I wondered if you were an MP as you were extremely unhappy in answering the original question, everyone assumes people are Living the life of Riley on Benefits but I could not pay all my living expenses out of £56.25 and I am happy to admit it 🙂 My electric alone is £146 a month! So if you could advice me how I can advice someone, I would most appreciate it. Some seem to think it is too much for the poor disabled to have.

Absolutely_Passionate

I’m getting the impression that you never really wanted me to help you with your budgeting, but rather just wanted to vent your spleen over the benefits system.

Perhaps you should direct your ire towards the people who have defrauded the system of billions of pounds with their bogus claims. It it were not for them, there would be more money available for genuine cases and they would not be required to jump through hoops to prove their eligibility.